Personal recreation/utility vehicle lift and anti-theft device

ABSTRACT

A land based recreation and utility vehicle lift and anti-theft device and system. The device includes an elongated support post including a ground-engaging fulcrum connected to, and laterally offset in one direction from, the lower end of the support post. A first pivotal connection of the support post is positioned laterally therefrom in the opposite direction from the fulcrum and adapted for pivotal connection to a drawbar or tubular member of the PRV. A locking bar is also pivotally connected at one end to the support post and preferably connectable at the other end to the drawbar or frame member at a point spaced from the first pivotal connection after the corresponding end of the vehicle is lifted from contact with the support surface by pivotal movement of the support post about the fulcrum whereby the lifted end of the vehicle is maintained in a lifted position for service and as a theft deterrent.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to devices attachable to one end or theother of a personal recreational and utility vehicle (PRV) such as asnowmobile, a 3 or 4 large-wheeled ATV and the like, and moreparticularly to such a device and system which will elevate one end ofsuch a vehicle for maintenance and for anti-theft purposes.

2. Description of Related Art

The use of off-road type land-based personal recreation and utilityvehicles (PRVs) has obviously become extremely popular. Such vehiclesinclude snowmobiles and various personal all terrain recreation andutility vehicles which enable off-road transport and recreation of oneor two persons in virtually all weather and ground conditions. However,when not in use and not lockably deployed on a trailer or within abuilding, such PRVs have become extremely susceptible to theft. Whensitting alone or unattended in a generally unlocked situation, two ormore thieves may easily roll, then lift, or simply “hot wire” and drivesuch recreational vehicles away or into a tow or haul vehicle in amatter of moments without much risk of being caught or seen.

Moreover, the servicing of such vehicles is somewhat difficult wherein,for example, the rear axle of a land-based wheel supported recreationalvehicle must be serviced either to maintain or repair drive train orsubstructure or simply replace tires when worn or requiring exchange. Asthese vehicles may weigh several hundred pounds, although stillremaining easily subject to thieves as above described, nonethelessholding one end of such a vehicle above ground for any length of timeduring servicing is at best extremely difficult.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,417 to Weaver teaches a stabilizing arm including asupport pivotally, rotatably or slidably disposed in the support sleevefitted to a conventional trailer hitch. A releasable locking apparatusfor locking together support posts and a drawbar of a vehicle forprevention of theft is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,969 toBroughton.

An anti-theft device attachable to a snowmobile is disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 5,599,002 to Knutson and Rorie, et al. discloses an apparatusfor securing a recreational vehicle to a towing vehicle or to agrounding member in U.S. Pat. No. 7,147,415. U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,260 toZimmerman teaches an apparatus having a lift bar for securing an ATV toa trailer.

The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations relatedtherewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Otherlimitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled inthe art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.

The present invention provides a manually actuated device for easilylifting one axle or end of any compatible land-based recreational orutility vehicle for servicing of the associated components, drive trainand wheels thereof. Once deployed, the device will maintain the elevatedpositioning of the axle, wheels and corresponding end of the PRV whileservicing thereof is completed. By adding a locking feature to theconnectable pivot points of the device, the anti-theft feature of theinvention is thereby deployed wherein the elevated wheels and axles orsnowmobile drive belt of the PRV being raised from contact with theground or other support surface cannot be easily stolen or at leastdriven away by bypassing a key actuated ignition system, for example.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a land based recreation vehicle lift andanti-theft device and system, the vehicle having a drawbar or transversetubular member for attachment thereto. The device includes an elongatedsupport post including a vehicle support surface engaging fulcrumconnected to, and laterally offset in one direction from, the lower endof the support post when in use. A first pivotal connection of thesupport post is positioned laterally therefrom in another directionopposite that of the fulcrum and is spaced above the lower end andadapted for pivotal connection to the drawbar or tubular member. Alocking bar is pivotally connected at one end thereof to the supportpost above the lower end, a free end of the locking bar beingconnectable, preferably lockably, to the drawbar or frame member of thevehicle at a point spaced from the first pivotal connection when thecorresponding end of the vehicle is lifted from contact with the supportsurface by pivotal movement of the support post about the fulcrum awayfrom the vehicle whereby the lifted end of the vehicle is preferablylockingly maintained in a lifted position for service and as a theftdeterrent.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an anti-theft andlifting device for land-based recreational and utility wheeled andbelt-driven vehicles (PRVs).

Still another object of this invention is to provide a device whichcompletely elevates one drive axle of a multi-axle land-basedrecreational vehicle to completely separate the drive wheels from theground or other support surface.

Yet another object of this invention is to utilize an existing drawbarof a land-based personal recreational vehicle for attachment of a devicewhich will elevate one end of the recreational vehicle forserviceability and anti-theft purposes.

The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described andillustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which aremeant to be exemplary and illustrative and not limiting in scope. Invarious embodiments, one or more of the above-described problems havebeen reduced or eliminated while other embodiments are directed to otherimprovements. In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodimentsdescribed above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent byreference of the drawings and by study of the following descriptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rear drive portion of a typicalconventional land-based wheeled personal recreational vehicle (PRV) inphantom, showing the device rearwardly positioned and attached to thevehicle ready for deployment.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a portion of an alternate embodiment of thefirst pivotal connection of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic view of the invention shown in solidlines prior to deployment and in phantom lines after being deployed.

Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in reference figures of thedrawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosedherein are to be considered to illustrative rather than limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, the device is there shown generally atnumeral 10 deployed and ready for use as seen in FIG. 1 immediatelyadjacent the rear of a land-based personal wheeled recreational vehicle(PRV) shown generally at numeral A and as part of the system of theinvention. This PRV A includes spaced wide ground flotation-type rearwheels B operably mounted to the chassis engine and drive train androtatable about a transverse axis C passing through this rear wheelarrangement. For towing purposes, this PRV A includes a drawbar Dcentrally located and longitudinally extending rearwardly for connectionto a conventional trailer hitch or other towing arrangement.

The device 10 includes an upright elongated support post 12 made oftubular channel material for light-weight rigidity and having laterallyextending frame members 16 connected at the lower end of the supportpost 12 extending orthogonally rearwardly to a transverse fulcrum bar 14which defines an outer fulcrum edge 34. A diagonal brace 44 extendingbetween the fulcrum bar 14 and a mid point of the support post 12 isprovided for added rigidity and strength.

The device 10 also includes a drawbar connecting member 18 which isconnected to just below a mid point of the support post 12 whichlaterally extends forwardly with respect to the PRV in an oppositedirection to that of the fulcrum bar 14. A distal end of the drawbarconnecting member 18, a mating pivotal connection is adapted for pivotalconnection at 20 to the rear or distal end of the drawbar D about afirst pivotal axis 40. This pivotal connection 20 may be in the form ofa transverse pin locked in place or a conventional lockable trailer balland socket arrangement which affords the pivotal connection function atthis first pivotal connection 20 about the transverse axis 40 seen inFIGS. 1 and 3.

The device 10 further includes a locking bar 22 which is pivotallyconnected by a threaded bolt and locking nut at one end 24 thereoftransversely to the upright support post 12 just above the ground orvehicle support surface G. This locking bar 22 is pivotally movable inthe direction of arrow 46 about a second pivotal axis 36 and includes aconnecting aperture 26 formed transversely to the distal end thereof. Apulling handle 30 is attached adjacent the upper end of the support post12 for added leverage in manual grasping thereof during deployment ofthe device 10 as will be described herebelow.

As best seen in FIG. 6, after the pivotal connection is made at 20between the distal rear end of the drawbar D and the drawbar connectingmember 18 about transverse axis 40 to establish the first pivotalconnection 20, the device 10 will rest atop the ground G as shown insolid lines. To elevate the rear wheels B and axis C of the PRV A,handle 30 is grasped and pulled arcuately rearwardly in the direction ofarrow 32. The pre-established movement produced by the pivotal rearwardmovement of the upper end of the support post 12 will be the pivoting ofthe fulcrum bar 14 about the fulcrum line 34 which causes the entiredevice 10 to move into the pre-established position shown in phantom inFIG. 6.

The first pivotal connection 20 develops an angular rather than a linearrelationship between the drawbar connecting member 18 and the drawbar Dand the PRV A experiences a lifting and rearward movement of the rearwheels B and a rearward movement of the front wheels E which maintaincontact with the ground G. At a predetermined angular movement of thedevice 10, the locking bar 22 may be pivoted about the second pivotalconnection 24 in the direction of arrow 46 to align the aperture 26 witha transverse aperture 28 formed into the drawbar D adjacent the distalend thereof. A pin (not shown) is slid through the aligned apertures 26and 28 at which time the handle 30 may be released and the liftedorientation of the rear wheels V will be thereby maintained with theentire weight of the rear portion of the PRV previously carried onwheels E now being carried along the fulcrum 34 and the fulcrum bar 14.

In this elevated configuration and deployed position of the device 10,maintenance activity on the rear portion of the PRV may be effected.Tires B may be changed, axle oil replenished, brakes serviced and thelike. To implement the anti-theft aspect of this disclosure, the pinsutilized at the first and second pivotal connections 20 and 24 may be inthe form of either elongated hasps of locks or non-removable threadedbolts or pins so that the elevated arrangement shown in phantom in FIG.6 may not be disturbed except by someone having the necessary unlockingkey or combination or tool to remove one of these pins at 28, 20 or 24.Preferably, the primary aspect in maintaining the elevated and lockeddeployment of the device 10 is at the pinned connection at 28 betweenthe drawbar D and the distal end of the locking bar 22.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, in lieu of connection to an existingdrawbar D of a PRV as previously described, many such vehicles include atransverse bumper shown in phantom at H connected to either the front orrear of the PRV. Moreover, typically these tubular bumpers H are roundor circular in cross section for manufacturing convenience and uniformstrength. The drawbar connecting member is accordingly modified at 18′to be connectively supporting a transverse attaching bar 52 whichincludes flexible arcuate collars 50 attached to each end of the liftingbar 52 and laterally extending therefrom. These arcuate collars 50snappingly engage over the tubular bumper H to establish the firstpivotal connection about axis J. A separate transverse aperture 28 isestablished through the support frame D′ for the transverse bumper H sothat the locking bar 22 may be pivotally pinned as previously describedonce the end portion of the PRV has been elevated.

While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussedabove, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications,permeations and additions and subcombinations thereof. It is thereforeintended that the following appended claims and claims hereinafterintroduced are interpreted to include all such modifications,permeations, additions and subcombinations that are within their truespirit and scope.

1. A land based recreation vehicle lift and anti-theft device, thevehicle having a drawbar, comprising: an elongated support postincluding a vehicle support surface engaging fulcrum connected to, andlaterally offset in one direction from, a lower end of said support postwhen in use; a drawbar connecting member connected to said support postand laterally extending therefrom in another direction opposite that ofsaid fulcrum, a distal end of said connecting member spaced above saidlower end and being adapted for pivotal connection to a distal end ofthe drawbar about a first pivotal axis; a locking bar pivotallyconnected at one end thereof to said support post about a second pivotalaxis positioned above said lower end, a free end of said locking barbeing connectable to the drawbar at a point spaced from said firstpivotal axis when the drawbar and corresponding end of the vehicle arelifted from contact with the support surface a predetermined distance bypivotal movement of said support post about said fulcrum away from thevehicle whereby the lifted end of the vehicle is maintained in a liftedposition.
 2. A land based recreation vehicle lift and anti-theft device,the vehicle having a drawbar, comprising: an elongated L-shaped supportmember including a vehicle support surface engaging leg defining afulcrum connected to, and laterally offset in one direction from, alower end of an elongated upright post of said support member; a drawbarconnecting member connected to said support post and laterally extendingtherefrom in another direction opposite that of said fulcrum, a distalend of said connecting member spaced above said lower end and beingadapted for locked pivotal connection to a distal end of the drawbarabout a first pivotal axis; an elongated locking bar pivotally connectedat one end thereof to said support post at a point about a secondpivotal axis positioned above said lower end, a free end of said lockingbar being lockingly connectable to the drawbar at a point spaced fromsaid first pivotal axis when the drawbar and corresponding end of thevehicle are lifted from contact with the support surface a predetermineddistance by pivotal movement of said support post about said fulcrumaway from the vehicle whereby the lifted end of the vehicle is lockinglymaintained in a lifted position.
 3. A land based recreation vehicle liftand anti-theft device, the vehicle having a frame or bumper, said devicecomprising: an elongated L-shaped support member including a vehiclesupport surface engaging horizontal leg defining a fulcrum connected to,and laterally offset in one direction from, a lower end of an uprightsupport post of said support member; a first pivotal connection of saidsupport post laterally offset therefrom in another direction oppositethat of said fulcrum, said first pivotal connecting being spaced abovesaid lower end and being adapted for pivotal connection to or adjacentto the frame or bumper about said first pivotal axis; an elongatedlocking bar pivotally connected at one end thereof to said support postabout a second pivotal axis positioned between said lower end and saidfirst pivotal connection, a free end of said locking bar beingconnectable to the frame or bumper at a point spaced from said firstpivotal axis when the corresponding end of the vehicle is lifted fromcontact with the support surface by pivotal movement of said supportpost about said fulcrum whereby one end of the vehicle is maintainedlifted.
 4. A lift and anti-theft system comprising: a land basedrecreation vehicle having a drawbar; an elongated support post includinga vehicle support surface engaging fulcrum connected to, and laterallyoffset in one direction from, a lower end of said support post when inuse; a first pivotal connection of said support post laterally offsettherefrom in another direction opposite that of said fulcrum, said firstpivotal connection being spaced above said lower end and being adaptedfor pivotal connection to or adjacent to a distal end of the drawbarabout a first pivotal axis of said first pivotal connection; a lockingbar pivotally connected at one end thereof to said support post about asecond pivotal axis positioned above said lower end, a free end of saidlocking bar being connectable to the drawbar at a point spaced from saidfirst pivotal axis when the drawbar and corresponding end of the vehicleare lifted from contact with the support surface by pivotal movement ofsaid support post about said fulcrum whereby one end of the vehicle ismaintained lifted.
 5. A land based recreation vehicle lift andanti-theft device, the vehicle having a transverse tubular memberpositioned across one end of the vehicle, said device comprising: anelongated support post including a vehicle support surface engagingfulcrum connected to, and laterally offset in one direction from, alower end of said support post when in use; a first pivotal connectionof said support post and laterally extending therefrom in anotherdirection opposite that of said fulcrum, said first pivotal connectionspaced above said lower end and being adapted for locking pivotalconnection to the tubular member about a first transverse pivotal axis;a locking bar pivotally connected at one end thereof to said supportpost about a transverse second pivotal axis positioned above said lowerend, a free end of said locking bar being lockingly connectable to thetubular member at a point spaced from said first pivotal axis when thecorresponding end of the vehicle is lifted from contact with the supportsurface by pivotal movement of said support post about said fulcrum awayfrom the vehicle whereby the lifted end of the vehicle is maintained ina lifted position.